What We Believe

Statement of Faith

The Godhead: God is one Spirit Who eternally manifests Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is the Source of all things; the Son is the Creator and Redeemer; the Holy Spirit is the agent of all life both in the creation of the world and in the regeneration of the sinner (Matt. 3:16 17; John 4:24; Eph. 4:4 6; 1 Cor. 15; Col. 1).

The Scriptures: The Scriptures in their entirety are the very words of God. They are Divine; they are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).

Man’s Fall and Redemption: Man is a created being, made in the image of God, but through Adam’s transgression and fall, sin entered the world (Rom. 5:14; Rom. 3:10; Rom. 3:23; 1 John 3:8). Consequently, all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are guilty before God (Eph. 2:3; Rom. 5:12; Is. 53:6; John 3:36; Rom 3:10, 23; Gal. 3:10). Jesus was sent to redeem man from God’s punishment for sin, from the power of sin and from the curse of the law. In redemption, through Jesus’ death on the cross, man is restored to right relationship with God. Those who are “in Christ” are born of God (John 1:13), are called “sons of God” (1 John 3:1), receive eternal life (John 3:16), and are joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17; Gal. 4:7). They are washed, sanctified and justified (1 Cor. 6:11). They have peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and are reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10). They are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19; Acts 2). They receive forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14), are dead to sin (Rom. 6:11), and are redeemed from the presence and power of iniquity (Tit. 2:14).

Hell and Eternal Punishment: Those who reject Christ are already dead spiritually, and have only to look forward to physical death, as well as the second death (the lake of fire). The abode of the wicked after death is a place of everlasting fire and punishment. In that place the wicked are tormented “for ever and ever” as punishment (Matt. 3:12; 25:30, 41, 46; 2 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20).

Repentance: Repentance is a gift from God. Repentance is dependant upon the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men. The conviction of the Holy Spirit, which often accompanies the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will result in the revelation of the sinfulness of self which should lead to godly sorrow. Repentance is a total change of heart, mind, attitude, emotions, will, action and lifestyle flowing from the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin (2 Cor. 7:10; Psalm 51; Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25; Gen. 6:3; Rom. 1:18 32; Matt. 9:12 13).

Sanctification and Christian Maturity: The Christian has been set apart to God, and by His grace should live in a manner that is distinctly different from the world. The believer is set free from sin (Rom 6:18), he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and he is dead to sin (Rom. 6:2; 1 Pet. 2:24). Sanctified is what the believer is; mature is what he is to become (Eph. 4:13).

The Church: The church is a living organism with each of its members in vital relationship to the others, all partaking of a common life (1 Cor. 12). Within the universal church, each local body has Christ as its head, and consists of born again believers, gathered together by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of fellowship, worship, observance of the ordinances, propagation of the gospel, and the teaching of the Word of God, all in accordance with the biblical revelation.

Ordinances: We believe in several New Testament ordinances: water baptism by immersion, the communion of the bread and cup, and the “love feast” (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:20-34).

Church Discipline: We believe in church discipline administered within the local church in a spirit of meekness and confidentiality. The purpose of such discipline is to maintain the wellbeing of the church which is a living organism, with its members in vital relationship to one another; to preserve the purity of the church’s testimony, doctrine and practice; and to lead the sinning member to repentance and restoration to fellowship in the body. There are four degrees of discipline. The first is private admonition. The second is admonition with witnesses. The third is getting the church leaders involved. The fourth is withdrawal of fellowship (Matt. 18:15-17; Gal. 6:1; Rom. 16:17; 2 John 9-11; 1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 2:1-11, 7:8-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Thess. 3:6-15; 1 Tim. 1:19-20; 2 Tim. 2:17-18; Tit. 3:10-11; 2 John; 3 John).

The Baptism In the Holy Spirit: The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers and is received subsequent to the new birth (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38, 39; Acts 19:1 7; Acts 2:4).

The Return of the Lord: The Lord Jesus Christ will literally, personally, visibly and bodily return to the earth. No one knows the time of His return. (Matt. 24:36).